JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fl. – The Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol is pleading with beachgoers to fill in any holes they dig during their time at the beach before they leave. Turtle patrol volunteer Kevin Brown said it is the number one hazard to a nesting sea turtle and its hatchlings on the sand.
Sea turtle nesting season started May 1. Right now, female turtles are looking for sandy locations along our shoreline to lay their eggs.
“Years past we had a nesting female fall into one of these holes,” explained Brown, as he was filling in a hole we spotted during our recent interview on Jacksonville Beach.
These holes are created by children and adults who dig them during their time at the beach. Brown said he hopes everyone enjoys our beautiful beaches, but asks when you pack up to go home, leave the beach the way you found it.
Dogs often dig holes when they’re walking on the beach with their owner. Brown said please fill it in before you continue on.
Not only can these holes trap a nesting turtle as she crawls from the ocean toward the dunes, but next month when hatchlings begin to emerge from their nests, they can get trapped too and die.
“You see what happens is they don’t see like us,” explained Brown. “They are not 4 feet above elevation, so they’re on the ground level,” he said. They can’t see a hole, until they fall in it.
Sea turtle hatchlings can then become easy prey for predators, like birds and coyotes.
Friday is World Sea Turtle Day, a day designed to raise awareness about the endangered turtles. An average of 47 nests are buried between Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach every year.
One female turtle can lay up to five nests and each nest can contain as many as a hundred eggs. Despite the numbers, Brown said only one to two hatchlings even make it from their nest to the sargassum patch 80 miles off our coast, so anything beachgoers can do to help hatchlings during their journey from the edge of the sand dunes to the ocean is critical.
It’s why the Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol is reminding beachgoers to leave the beach clean, dark and flat. While holes are the biggest problem, trash left on the beach can also be a hazard.
“These tents with a four prong, they blow around and people say, ‘Oh my tent is done’ so they just leave the frame on the beach,” explained Brown.
Sea turtles and their hatchlings can get caught up in these and entangled. Broken beach chairs are also a hazard for turtles.
Brown said female turtles usually lay their eggs at night and hatchlings are typically born at that time, as well. While he acknowledges it is a marvel to watch the creatures on the sand, any artificial light can disrupt the process.
Nesting turtles will turn around and return to the ocean, he said, if they sense trouble with a bright light aimed at them. Bright light can also confuse hatchlings.
“We have found them in dunes, in pools and up on First Street,” explained Brown, who said hatchlings look for the horizon when they emerge from their nest and follow the light of the moon.
Any camera lights, street lights or home lights can confuse them and cause them to crawl in the wrong direction. A mistake that can lead to death for the babies.
You should know, state and federal laws also protect sea turtle nests and carry a $500 fine and possible jail time if a nest is disturbed.
Brown asks you to please educate your children about staying out of the dunes and away from these nests and watch your pets as well. Dogs can dig up nests exposing eggs to predators.
Brown said there are three species of sea turtles that frequent our coastline: Loggerheads, Leatherbacks and Green turtles.
Beaches Energy Services, the City of Jacksonville Beach, and the Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol launched their 2023 public awareness campaign Friday on World Sea Turtle Day.
They are raising money to protect sea turtles. You can help by buying a specialty coffee mug beginning Friday. They are being sold at five Jacksonville Beach coffee shops for $10:
- Bold Bean, 2400 3rd St. S.
- Breezy Coffee Shop, 235 8th Ave. S.
- Cup of Joe, 119 1st Ave. N.
- Jax Beach Brunch Haus, 610 3rd St. S.
- Round Bird Coffee Shop, 1094 3rd St. N.
If you spot a sea turtle in trouble in Atlantic, Neptune or Jacksonville Beach, call the Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol: 904-613-6081. If you are in another county, call the Florida Wildlife Commission: 888-404-3922.